Change is possible only if the top management agrees

Once upon a time, a line manager was initiating several
changes in the company. The top management supported his
changes. However, there were several other line managers,
who did not appreciate the changes and they raised their
objections. Before objecting to the bigger changes, they
decided to first object to the smaller changes. So they wrote
a letter to the CEO, describing a simple change of keeping
roses on the reception desk.

In the letter they stated, “Keeping roses on the reception
desk affects employees, as they tend to be more romantic
and less focused on their work; thereby, the workflow
becomes slow and the production is hampered. This creates
a negative bottom line and thus, the company fails in fulfilling
its obligations towards its stakeholders.”

After few days, they received a note from the CEO
stating, “Find out how keeping roses on the reception desk,
may make the employees more focused on their work,
increase the workflow, not hamper production, create a
positive bottom line and make the company fulfill its
obligations to its stakeholders.”

~0~
Excerpt from the book “Once Upon A Time: 100 Management Stories” by Rajen Jani